Torres joins Chelsea

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Premier League rivals Liverpool.

In a deal reported to be worth 50 million pounds, Torres has signed a five-and-a-half year contract with the London club.

“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Fernando Torres on a five-and-a-half year contract,” a Chelsea statement read on Monday.

“The move to bring the Spanish World Cup and European Championship winner to London from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee was completed on Monday evening.”

Torres, who joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid in 2007, scored 81 goals in 142 total appearances for the Reds including both goals when the Reds defeated Chelsea at Anfield in November.

McKay a wanted man

Rising Socceroo Matt McKay cannot guarantee he will remain at Brisbane beyond this season as he looks to cash in on his breakthrough Asian Cup campaign.

The attacking midfielder is suddenly a player in demand after emerging as a surprise star of Australia’s run to the Asian Cup final.

The 28-year-old kept Socceroos mainstay Brett Emerton out of the starting line-up for the decider, won 1-0 by Japan in extra-time, after winning over coach Holger Osieck with a man-of-the-match display in the 6-0 semi-final demolition of Uzbekistan.

McKay is sure to be on the radar of clubs both at home and abroad following his exploits in Qatar.

Brisbane Roar, the runaway A-League leaders, recently signed their captain to a long-term contract but coach Ange Postecoglou has all but conceded McKay will be poached in the near future.

McKay was tight-lipped about his future when he arrived in Brisbane on Tuesday morning but hinted his Roar days could be numbered if the right offer was tabled.

“(I’m) definitely (staying with Brisbane) this season. I’ve signed a new three-year deal and it’s a very good deal,” he said.

“The Roar are going places and I want to be a part of that, but if the offers were to come in then that is out of my hands.”

“The club will deal with it there and then. But I am really excited about the rest of the season.”

“I want to concentrate on this title (so) I can promise you I will be here for the rest of this season.”

Osieck regarded McKay as a handy back-up player before the Asian Cup but was forced to drastically change his thinking as the tournament progressed.

One of the few A-League players in the squad, the Roar skipper went from bench player to an integral member of the side in just four games.

“I said I didn’t want to go there to make up the numbers and I probably surpassed that,” McKay said.

“He (Osieck) said he wasn’t sure of me at first but told me that I’d proved myself and he was very happy with my performances.”

“Being in that team with the calibre of player was a great feeling and I learnt so much. It made me a better player.”

“I am very happy with the way I went – just disappointed with the final result – (and I think it) showed the A-League’s a good breeding ground for players.”

With McKay set to return, Brisbane can secure the minor premiership with victory over North Queensland in Townsville on Saturday night.

The Roar have gone 23 games without defeat, setting a new record for the longest unbeaten streak in Australian football history.

A-League: Brisbane continue record run

Brisbane Roar moved one step closer to securing the A-League Premier’s Plate after a 2-1 win over Melbourne Heart on Saturday.

The Roar could have wrapped up the minor premiership if it were not for Adelaide’s 2-1 home loss against the Central Coast Mariners, also on Saturday, but Ange Postecoglou’s side will finish the season on top if the Mariners fail to beat the Melbourne Heart on Friday.

Even if the Mariners do win in Melbourne, all the Roar will need is a point from their clash with North Queensland on February 5 to finish the season atop the table, while Saturday’s win has already secured their spot in the 2012/2013 Asian Champions League.

The records keep coming for Postecoglou’s all-conquering side, as the Roar extended their unbeaten record to 23 matches, breaking a domestic football record in Australia set in 1987 by APIA Leichhardt.

Brisbane’s attempt to break the record started brilliantly when Costa Rican under-20 international Jean Carlos Solorzano notched his 11th strike of the season after just five minutes.

Solorzano’s pace took him away from Heart captain Simon Colosimo before he delivered a quality finish which takes him to second on the league’s scoring charts, equal with Central Coast’s Matt Simon on 11.

In-form James Meyer gave the Roar a two-goal advantage after 63 minutes with his fourth goal in three games in his first A-League start for the club and despite Gerald Sibon’s 75th minute consolation, Brisbane hung on for all three points.

In the day’s other matches, the Central Coast Mariners all but secured second spot on the table with a 2-1 away win at Adelaide United.

A sensational first-half set up the victory, with Patricio Perez and Joshua Rose getting on the scoresheet as the Mariners put on a clinic.

Travis Dodd gave Adelaide a late chance of an unlikely draw with his injury time equaliser, but the Mariners claimed a well-deserved three points.

Sydney FC kept their fledgling finals hopes alive with a 2-0 away win against the Perth Glory, set up by goals to Nick Carle and Bruno Cazarine.

The win gives Sydney FC, the reigning champion, a chance of making the finals with the Sky Blues ninth on the A-League table, just four points behind the sixth-placed Melbourne Heart.

With the top six featuring in the finals, Sydney will be hoping to make use of their game in hand on the Heart and continue their unbeaten run in 2011.

Surgery ends Kagawa´s season

Borussia Dortmund’s Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who broke a bone in his right foot at the Asian Cup, is heading home for surgery.

Kagawa broke the bone in his foot in his team’s semi-final against South Korea forcing him to miss Saturday’s final against Australia.

He is expected to miss the rest of the season with the injury.

“He is on his way to Japan for surgery,” Dortmund said in a statement.

“It was his wish and the club agreed. It is not yet decided when he will return to Germany.”

Bundesliga leaders Dortmund said it was unlikely the player would return before the end of the season.

“There are variations in this injury but I do not know of any case that a player came back earlier than three months,” said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

Kagawa, snapped up in the close season from Japan’s second division for 300,000 pounds, has been crucial in Dortmund’s spectacular run this season with his team eight points clear at the top of the table.

The 21-year-old has scored eight league goals in his first season in Germany and his value is now estimated at about six million pounds.

Bin Hammam: World Cup is Qatar’s alone

Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed Bin Hammam dismissed suggestions Qatar would share the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

UEFA chief Michel Platini had requested the event be jointly staged between Qatar and other Gulf nations, but Bin Hammam was adamant the tournament would be hosted solely by the tiny Arab nation.

“Qatar submitted a bid to organise the World Cup and it’s fair for Qatar to organise all the matches,” Bin Hammam said.

“It’s never actually been discussed inside the executive committee or outside the executive committee that some of the matches are going to be played outside the host nation.”

“I always believed Qatar can host a very good World Cup. It is an opportunity for those who had less confidence in Qatar’s capability to organize a World Cup to see with their own eyes, what can be done and what cannot be done.”

“We are proud of our infrastructure, our football infrastructure, and we can keep the promises we made in our bid.”

Bin Hammam said the experience of hosting the 2011 Asian Cup would be a valuable experience for the Qatari organising committee.

“Of course some lessons have been learnt (from hosting the AFC Asian Cup). Qatar has been excellent in organisation but this will add to their experience,” Bin Hammam said.

“Qatar has been organising tournaments for a long time. What is good is they don’t hesitate to engage any professional who can get the job done. They can do a lot from what they have learnt.”

“We told the people of the world to come and feel how comfortable a World Cup organised in a small country can be.”

“We were organising two matches a day, and we have seen how comfortable watching two matches in a day in the same city, the same hotel, driving in the same car.”